Fire extinguisher



lJuly 12, 1927.

G. E. FERGUSON ETy AL FIRE EXTINGUISHER Filed Sepp 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l ik INVENToRs #9. J mi?. 2M? v wav@ lATTORNEYS` G. E. FERGUSON ET Al.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HW Inti.

INVENToRs i ATTORNEYS Patented July 12, 1927.y

4j Auru'r-E[n STATES u f j f 1-1,t35,54s^

G EoRGE. ENNIs FERGUSON, 4or 'SERING VALLEY; NEW-YR'K,` AND LEWIS#soNWLiR-NEURv MoRRs .'rmrsoN, -oF PLAINFI'EL'D; NEW JERSEY, AssIGNoRs mo 1PYR ENE fMANu- EAGTURING COMEANY; oE. NEWARK, NEW'JERSEY;

p WARE.'

FIRE ySi]XTINGFUISHEBI. .1

Az. CORPORATION. oF NELL.

' Application-amenseptember 1,.19'a5.-seria1fNof-'lsassaa f f This' invention relates-to firey extinguishers and isfher-ein ,described -asapplied te -a well known foam type. oibucket extinguisher.

Extinguishers Iodi t that; type vusual-ly consist.

5 o'ffa pail 'contain-ing.; a: rsuitable yliquid-A such as an'aqueous solution, Which .is ladapted to beg-put :interaction by 'the` breaking. out. ofy a fire owing .to the fact that'theiire melts a fusible link.; ,With the'f result .that chemical reactionsis:startedfinfthe Water.'

f and blanketstheitiieiwhich-melted the link. Bucket extinguishers have proved e may .fai/l to Work .properly when a ire .breaks outl Vowing tothe;y fdepletion-` of thenecessary Water'.l Jxccording.to. the.: present invention the-.v area; of liquid from whichv evaporation 5 takes place lisfsof gre'atly-yreduced that evapo-v 2 f overa-.Very longgperiod'ofifftnne'.YV t

It #has been... fou-nd possible to attain vthis minimizing@ of. evaporation Without mi any eliciency'T is lizo-.some extentincreased. In the forni Vof the invention herein described. this endiseaccomplished by provid-ing. fan internal lowft'he; surfaceoifthe contained liquid lWith the result `that only-assmall partei thenliquid surface .is exposed toi thefair. I It .is found that 'apro'perlyA spaced .apron ofithis kind 1n:

no VWay-diminishes fthe: eticiency of fthe .extirk guisheriwhere .a frotheforniing laqueous so lution. i is f usedy.: ,and 2 advantageously confines the. viroth.- more. closelyto theff W-alls'pof thepailwhereitisoverflowing. -v f O. herifeaturesfand advantagesfWil-l rhereinaiterappear. .p

.. In theaccompanying;drawing*Figure 1vr L is?` afsectional side. View ofiA a, bucket` exf .tingnisher ofithe type described, embodymg thepresentinwention, 'l

Figures .1s alpi n- View of the same, and

Thisl usually/ produces va froth which overflows ration: isrminifmized 'and thezextinguisher re,-v taifns: i substantially its full i liquid' con-tents Way diminishing. the eiticiency of ltheeXtinf guish'erand.Liu'fact-in. suchfa way thatv its.

apron-:spaced a little-distance troni the inner, j Wall of 1 the, bucket# orf pail and Vdipping .bes Figure 3ds a lside viewfof the extinguisher.-k seenti-nfsection inFig-urelvl.

In the .-form. of the in-ventiorrshoviunin the` 55 l accompanyingfdrawings a. bucket or pail islled upto .a predetermined'point with anaqueoussolution of bicarbmlate-ofsoda;` f

which 1n-ay 'also con-tain'an excess of bicarf bonatevovt soda' as -Well as.A a frotl-ii producingi 60 ingredient. f Th'ebucket-,or pail llis--usually-l circular tand yhas a `bottom '2 which is recessed upwardly. from the 'low-erelid; 3 Tof .the-side?A Wal-l- 45 thus providing', an space .ini which a, fusiblelink` 5 vit/ill bef protected fromeaccie; dental blows and. yet Will'be open-toi be: heated by Haines-beneath itwhen-.the bucket; is-suspended yby `theusualbail; 6:', Thev bail s usually turnsffonears--18 which aref held by;4 rivets 9 to the outerwallll. 'l i j Y e The pail vor-bucket- Yhas ay rolled! llower edge at-3,.and.a rol-ledftop `at 10,providi'ng;r stif.l ness and: may include corrugations ylland 12. to-urtherrstien-the walls: When the: aforesaid liquidi has" been placed' in=A the; 75 bucket cherefis laid .on the'top o-ffthefbucket@ y a-ycoverl which ris adaptedtoreston'rthef rolled ytop 1'()y andl .Which has a5 central Vopenj-i i-ng;"14,throughwhich,-sinserted an inner; il container, 15. :which iusua-lly contains. a5 soe lution of sulphate if ofV aluminumjwhich 'is adapted;to. re'act with `the bicarbonate of beneath the bottom plate 2 and is anchored in a fusible link 5. The link 5, in turn, is

rectly opposite the opening 27. Thus itl comes about t-hat the fusible link retains the `weight 1S in its upper position.

In caserof fire beneath the pail or bucket, the fusible link melts rapidly, releases the chain 26 and allows the weight 18 Ito fall through the container 15 until its sharp point 19 strikes and breaks a break-glass 30 which is suitably mounted in the bottom of container l5. The glass for this pur ose lies between a flanged retainer-31whici is screw-threaded and fits onto a screw-threadedflange seat 32 and is screwed up against the seat so that theglass 30 is held between the rubber washers 33 Vand 34 which lie against the flanges on opposite sides of the glass and allowthe retainer to be screwed up `tight against the glass and bear on the seat. flhen the' glass is broken, the solrtion of sulphate of aluminum flows into the solution of bicarbonate of soda, usually producing a froth 'because ofthe presence of froth-facients. In Vany event the vbubbles of carbon dioxide releasedcause the liquid to expand and flow out through side openings 35 near the top of the bucket and in the outer wall Y4; thereof.v

According to the present invention means are provided for minimizing the large evaporation'of'water which normally takes placethrough the openings '35 because of the large surface vof liquid exposed.` This endv is' shown as attained by providing an internal wall or apron 36 which is fast to the 'cover '1 3 andvis spaced away from the4 wall 4 a suitable distance. -It is found that ofan inch space between the apron or shield 36 and the `wall 1 is sufficient space to allow-the bucket extinguisher to work eiieiently and yet is small enough to greatly minimize the evaporation of watein Not onlypdoes the apron' 36 prevent evaporation of water fromthe surface with itsicircumference, but it also rdiminishes the evaporation byactingas a barrieragainst the circulation of air across and through' the' bucket. VYThus the currents of "air which would hasten evaporation are blocked. The apron or evaporation'shield 36 may be of any convenient depth. A depth of about 4f" has been found satisfactory" for' a two and ione-half gallon pail. In such a pail the vopenings 35 arek often upwards of two inches long and one inch high.

- Aplurality of'deflectors 40 are secured to the `wall 4' above the openings These r`dcflectors functionaprimarily to deflect the frothrdownward fas it passes through the Y openings 35, lbut they also cooperate Vwith theapron 36 to further eliminate circulation vofairacross and through the bucket which would hasten evaporation of the liquid. The deliectors are preferably constructed of sheet metal and are adapted to be so bent or adjusted with respect to the wall 4 as to eonlinethe foam to a given area beneath the extinguisher.

Tn order to prevent the chain 26 from be-y ing caught on anything external which mayv lie against the outer surfacel of the bucket 4 there is provided a long narrow metal cover or shield 38 which is secured to the outside of the bucket wall and extends from almost the level of the cover- 13 down Iin the opening 27 through which the' chain 26 passes. v In order to facilitate the passing of the chain around the turn 27 it is found that nothingl more is yneeded than a lug 39 providing a smooth surface to make the chain run easily over the space which r`would otherwisebe occupied by `therugged edges of the bucket parts.

Having thusV described certain embodiments o'f the present invention', what .is claimed is.: l a

1.2[n a Alire extinguishingk device ofthe with the first named liquid will vproduce a foam, means for causing the ,two liquids toV commingle whereby a gas is generated and a foam isproduced,and a depending walll within saidouter receptaclenearr the wall thereof and extending below Saidopenings to a Vpoint slightly beloys7 the normalliquid level of the first liquid, whereby the surface of the liquid in-*the outerrecept'acle from which evaporation takes place through-said openings is reduced to a smallpart of the total area of the surface'of the ,liquid in` said youter receptacle, and whereby upon.

generation of gas only ythe ,upper portion of the liquid'withinf t-he 'outer receptacle-is ejected through said openings and the remaining liquid within the outer receptacle is prevented from 'escaping exceptyas a foam; 2. ln a fire extinguishing device of the iis foam type, anl outer receptacle adapted yto hold a liquid and having a plurality of unobstructed openings in` its wall neark the top thereof, va cover'v lfor said receptacle, an inner receptacle having its wall spaced from the Vwall of the first named receptacle Y and adapted to carry a liquid whiehwhen mixed with the-first named liquidwillproduce a. foam, means for causing vthe two liquids to commingle whereby a lgasis generated and av foamis produee'ch'and a :des

pendingfwall within said youter receptacle l near the wall thereof and extending below no said openings` to a point slightly'- below the normal liquid level of the first liquid, Whereby the surface of the liquid in the outer receptacle from which evaporation takes place through said openings is reduced to a small part of the total area of thesur- 'a-ce of the liquid in said outer receptacle and whereby upon the generation of gas only the upper portion of the liquid witha- 'in the outer receptacle is ejected through said openings and the remaining f liquid Wlthin the outer receptacle 1s prevented from escaping except as a foam, andv a kplurality of bendable'deectors secured to the Wall of' the outer receptacle at points on the outer surface thereof above said openings for delieotiig' theoam in a downward vdirection as it is ejected from the outer receptacle through said openings.l l

ln testimony whereof` We have alixed our signatures to this specification. f

GEORGE ENNIS FERGUSON. LEWIS coUvERNEUR MoRRlsYTlMPsoN. 

